Photo by Brett Dunlap Wood County Clerk Mark Rhodes unlocks the voting machines to get them ready for early voting, which starts this morning in the Judge Black Annex at 315 Market St. in Parkersburg. Early voting will continue through Nov. 3 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays.

PARKERSBURG — Early voting begins today in Wood County.

The early voting will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Judge Black Annex at 315 Market St. in Parkersburg.

Early voting will continue through Nov. 3 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays, said Wood County Clerk Mark Rhodes.

Up for election will be the seat for the U.S. House of Representatives 1st, 2nd and 3rd Districts, one seat for the U.S. Senate, seats on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, a seat on the Wood County Commission, the 8th District House of Delegates seat, the 9th District House of Delegates seat, three seats for the 10th District House of Delegates, a seat in the state Senate’s 3rd District, a continuing levy renewal for Wood County Schools and two state Constitutional amendments for West Virginia.

Changes have been made on the ballot to reflect the passing of Republican Delegate Frank Deem of the 10th District and the appointment of former Delegate Tom Azinger to take his place on the ballot.

The county clerk’s office sent out 260 absentee ballots. Due to Deem’s death and Azinger’s appointment to take his place, new ballots were sent out. The county is holding on to the ones sent in.

If the person sends in a new ballot, it will be counted instead of the old ballot. If the new ballot is not received, they will count the old ballot, although any votes for Deem will not count, officials said.

Rhodes said people can request an absentee ballot until Oct. 31. The returned ballot has to be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 6 to be counted.

Secretary of State Mac Warner has led an effort to encourage eligible high school students to register to vote across the state.

On Tuesday, he announced there have been 29,070 high school students registered to vote over the last couple of years.

“It’s important that we encourage young adults to register and to vote,” Warner said in a press release. ”If we can get them voting early, they are more likely to vote in every election.”

Over the last 20 months, Warner said, 92,189 new voters have registered statewide, including the 29,070 high school students.

“This is an incredible accomplishment considering the size of our state,” Warner said. ”I want to encourage every registered voter, especially those voting for the very first time, to get out and vote.”

There are over 57,035 registered voters in Wood County, as of Monday, Rhodes said.

West Virginia voters are now required to show identification when they vote.

That can include a driver’s license, a state issued ID card, a U.S. Passport, Military ID card issued by the U.S., a concealed carry permit, a utility bill, a person’s Voter Registration Card, and a West Virginia hunting or fishing license, officials said.

“It just needs to be something that shows you are who you say you are,” Rhodes said.

Early voting will be conducted Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at the four satellite voting precincts: Williamstown City Building, 100 West Fifth St.; Vienna City Building, 609 29th St.; Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department, 1695 Elizabeth Pike, and Lubeck Volunteer Fire Department, 1340 Harris Highway.

Rhodes said they are still looking for alternate pollworkers. All of the main positions are filled, but they still need alternates if those people can’t do it. They can still be trained if they can attend training this Saturday.

People can call the County Clerk’s Office at 304-424-1850 for more information.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia is partnering with the nonprofit law firm Mountain State Justice Inc. and students at the West Virginia University College of Law to offer a hotline for voters who are facing issues at the polls, according to a press release issued Tuesday.

Voters should contact the hotline if, for instance, their names do not appear on the voter rolls, they are being told they have the wrong ID or they cannot access the polling place, organizers said.

The hotline will be open on Election Day, Nov. 6, and will be available to voters during early voting, which starts today and continues through Nov. 3. If the hotline is busy, voters will be able to leave a message and can expect a return call, organizers said.

Starting today, voters can call the hotline at 681-443-7083 or 681-443-7084.

Voters can find more information about approved forms of identification, registration status and polling places at the secretary of state’s website: https://sos.wv.gov/elections/Pages/GoVoteWV.aspx.